SD Bullion Congratulates The Perth Mint on Record-Breaking World’s Largest Gold Bar
The Perth Mint makes precious metals history with a 521.2-kilogram, 99.999% pure gold bar, earning a Guinness World Records title and showcasing Australian refining excellence.
The Perth Mint has made precious metals history.
On July 9, 2026, The Perth Mint officially achieved the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the world’s largest gold bar, producing an extraordinary bar weighing 521.2 kilograms (1,149 pounds) and refined to an exceptional 99.999% pure gold. The achievement surpassed the previous world record of 300 kilograms by more than 200 kilograms.
For SD Bullion, the record is also an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of a valued mint partner whose Australian gold coins and bars have long been popular with precious metals buyers.
SD Bullion CEO Chase Turner Congratulates The Perth Mint
SD Bullion CEO Chase Turner congratulated The Perth Mint and the more than 35 specialists whose expertise helped turn an ambitious idea into a world record.
“On behalf of everyone at SD Bullion, I want to congratulate The Perth Mint and its entire team on this extraordinary achievement. Creating the world’s largest gold bar would be impressive on its own, but producing a 521.2-kilogram bar at 99.999% purity demonstrates an exceptional level of refining, engineering and precious metals expertise. We are proud of our partnership with The Perth Mint and excited to celebrate a historic accomplishment that showcases both the Mint and Australia’s gold industry to the world.” — Chase Turner, CEO, SD Bullion
The achievement represents far more than the sheer size of the finished bar. The project brought together specialists in refining, metallurgy, engineering and quality assurance, along with teams responsible for safety, logistics, security, communications and project delivery.
How Big Is the World’s Largest Gold Bar?
The numbers behind the record are remarkable.
The Perth Mint's record-setting gold bar weighs 521.2 kilograms, or approximately 1,149 pounds. That is more than half a metric tonne of highly refined Australian gold.
The bar measures approximately 90 centimeters long and 20 centimeters high and wide. Most significantly, it was refined to 99.999% purity, commonly called “five-nines” fine gold.
The new bar easily surpassed the previous 300-kilogram record. When the finished bar was placed on calibrated scales, the result was official: 521.2 kilograms and a new Guinness World Records title.
99.999% Pure Gold: Refining on an Extraordinary Scale
The size of the bar tells only part of the story.
Producing a gold bar weighing more than half a tonne while achieving 99.999% purity presented an enormous technical challenge.
Perth Mint Chief Executive Paul Graham emphasized just how unusual that purity is.
“To get to five-nines gold, 99.999, not many can do that,” Graham said.
According to Graham, the current world standard is 99.99% purity. The additional “nine” therefore represents an important technical accomplishment, particularly when refining and casting gold on such a massive scale.
The Perth Mint said achieving 99.999% purity in a bar of this size demonstrates the sophistication of its refining processes and its ability to maintain quality, consistency and integrity at extraordinary scale. The Mint has been refining precious metals for more than 125 years.
How The Perth Mint Created a 521.2-Kilogram Gold Bar
Creating the world's largest gold bar required considerably more than simply melting hundreds of kilograms of gold and pouring it into a mold.
Approximately 1.5 tonnes of raw material were prepared during the project and refined into a series of large gold bars. For the final casting, six large bars and several smaller bars were carefully loaded into a specially designed graphite mold.
The mold was then placed inside The Perth Mint's advanced Flameless Casting Chamber.
There, the gold was heated to approximately 1,400 degrees Celsius, or about 2,552 degrees Fahrenheit. The enclosed casting system allowed the Mint to process the gold without an open flame, helping reduce employee exposure to molten metal while maintaining demanding standards for safety, quality and precision.
After many hours of controlled cooling, the enormous finished bar emerged.
The process had taken months of preparation. According to Graham, the idea began roughly a year before the record was achieved, and The Perth Mint even conducted a practice run before creating the final bar. Guinness World Records officials were on-site to observe the process, which took as long as three days.
More Than 35 Perth Mint Specialists Made the Record Possible
The finished gold bar may be the star of the achievement, but The Perth Mint has emphasized the people responsible for making it possible.
More than 35 specialists from The Perth Mint's Refinery and Assay Laboratory directly contributed to the project. Their combined expertise covered refining, metallurgy, engineering and quality assurance. Additional teams throughout the organization contributed in areas including safety, logistics, security and stakeholder engagement.
Graham fittingly described the enormous creation as the “People's Bar.”
That description reflects the collaborative nature of the achievement. What began as a conversation about large-scale gold casting evolved into the much more ambitious question of whether The Perth Mint could create both the world's largest gold bar and refine it to five-nines purity.
The answer is now sitting on the scales: 521.2 kilograms.
Paul Graham Celebrates a Dream Becoming Reality
At the unveiling, Graham described the record as an important moment not only for The Perth Mint but also for Western Australia.
“This is a very exciting day for the Perth Mint and all the people across Western Australia. A dream has become a reality today,” Graham said.
The accomplishment also provides a global showcase for the technical capabilities of The Perth Mint and Australia's broader gold industry.
The Perth Mint described the project as one of the most significant technical milestones in its history and said the bar represents more than a world record—it celebrates the expertise, innovation and partnerships found throughout Australia's gold industry.
How Much Is the World’s Largest Gold Bar Worth?
Naturally, one of the first questions many gold enthusiasts will ask is: How much is it worth?
The answer isn't quite as straightforward as multiplying its weight by the gold price.
Graham noted that the gold content alone was worth more than $100 million at the time discussed in the source material. But he also pointed to something that cannot easily be priced: its uniqueness as a world-record artifact.
As Graham explained, nothing like it had ever been produced before.
Its historical significance, five-nines purity and Guinness World Records status therefore make the bar much more than an enormous block of precious metal.
Where Can You See the World’s Largest Gold Bar?
Fortunately, The Perth Mint does not intend to hide its record-setting creation inside a vault.
The world's largest gold bar is scheduled to go on public display from late September 2026 as part of The Perth Mint Gold Tour, giving visitors the opportunity to see more than half a tonne of highly refined Australian gold up close.
It will eventually join another famous Perth Mint record-breaking creation: the one-tonne gold coin unveiled in 2011.
Together, the two creations provide an extraordinary demonstration of The Perth Mint's ability to work with precious metals on a scale few institutions can match.
The Perth Mint and More Than 125 Years of Precious Metals Expertise
The record continues a history of precious metals refining stretching back more than 125 years.
The Perth Mint's ability to achieve 99.999% purity while producing a bar weighing hundreds of kilograms demonstrates how traditional refining expertise can be combined with modern engineering, scientific knowledge and advanced manufacturing technology.
The Mint characterized the project as an example of the capability, innovation and continuous improvement that continue to drive the organization today.
For SD Bullion, that expertise is one of the reasons The Perth Mint remains an important partner and globally recognized name in physical precious metals.
Perth Mint Gold Products Available Through SD Bullion
While precious metals buyers won't be adding a 521.2-kilogram bar to the average home collection, The Perth Mint produces a wide range of more traditionally sized gold bullion products.
SD Bullion carries popular Perth Mint products including Australian Gold Kangaroo coins, fractional Gold Kangaroos, Australian Lunar Series III gold coins, and Perth Mint gold bars in assay.
Popular minted bar sizes include 1 oz, 10 gram, 5 gram and 1 gram Perth Mint gold bars, providing buyers with multiple weight options. Perth Mint minted gold bars contain .9999 fine gold and are securely packaged with assay information.
The flagship Australian Gold Kangaroo series is particularly well known for its .9999 fine gold purity and annually changing kangaroo imagery, combining Australian design with the Mint's longstanding reputation for precious metals production.
A World Record Worth Celebrating
For The Perth Mint, July 9, 2026 will now stand as a historic date.
A project that began as an ambitious idea became a 521.2-kilogram reality, breaking the previous 300-kilogram world record while achieving an exceptional 99.999% gold purity.
It took approximately 1.5 tonnes of prepared raw material, temperatures approaching 1,400°C, a specially designed graphite mold, an advanced flameless casting system, months of planning and the expertise of more than 35 specialists to make it happen.
The result is simultaneously a precious metals artifact, an engineering achievement and a celebration of Australia's gold industry.
Congratulations from Chase Turner and the entire SD Bullion team to Paul Graham, The Perth Mint and everyone involved in creating the world's largest gold bar.
What is the largest gold bar in the world?
The world's largest gold bar is a 521.2-kilogram (1,149-pound) gold bar created by The Perth Mint in Western Australia. It earned the Guinness World Records title on July 9, 2026.
Who made the world’s largest gold bar?
The Perth Mint created the world's largest gold bar with the contributions of more than 35 specialists from its Refinery and Assay Laboratory, along with teams from elsewhere in the organization.
What sovereign mint created the world’s largest gold bar?
The record-setting bar was created by The Perth Mint in Western Australia, using Australian gold.
How much does the world’s largest gold bar weigh?
The bar weighs 521.2 kilograms, equivalent to approximately 1,149 pounds. It surpassed the previous 300-kilogram record by more than 200 kilograms.
What are the dimensions of the world’s largest gold bar?
According to the supplied source material, the bar is approximately 90 centimeters long and 20 centimeters high and wide.
How pure is the world’s largest gold bar?
The Perth Mint refined the bar to 99.999% pure gold, commonly described as “five-nines” purity. Perth Mint Chief Executive Paul Graham noted that achieving five-nines gold is something relatively few refiners can accomplish.
What does .99999 fine gold mean?
A fineness of .99999, or 99.999%, means the refined material is 99.999% gold. It is commonly referred to as five-nines fine gold and represents an exceptionally high degree of refining purity.
How was the world’s largest gold bar made?
The Perth Mint prepared approximately 1.5 tonnes of raw material, refining it into large bars before the final casting. Six large bars and additional smaller bars were loaded into a specially designed graphite mold and heated to approximately 1,400°C inside a Flameless Casting Chamber. After hours of controlled cooling, the finished 521.2-kilogram bar emerged.
How many people helped create the gold bar?
More than 35 specialists from The Perth Mint's Refinery and Assay Laboratory directly contributed to the project, with additional support from teams across the organization.
Where is The Perth Mint located?
The Perth Mint is located in Perth, Western Australia. The record-breaking bar was produced in Western Australia using Australian gold.
Can the public see the world’s largest gold bar?
Yes. The record-setting bar is scheduled to be displayed from late September 2026 as part of The Perth Mint Gold Tour.
What other record-breaking gold item is displayed at The Perth Mint?
The new record-breaking bar will eventually be displayed alongside The Perth Mint's one-tonne gold coin, which was unveiled in 2011.
What Perth Mint gold products are available from SD Bullion?
The supplied material identifies several popular Perth Mint products sold through SD Bullion, including Australian Gold Kangaroo coins, Australian Lunar Series III gold coins, 1 oz Perth Mint gold bars, 10 gram gold bars, 5 gram gold bars and 1 gram gold bars.
Frequently Asked Questions About the World’s Largest Gold Bar
Sources:
Record-breaking pure gold bar
https://www.perthmint.com/visit/attractions/largest-gold-bar/
World record for largest bar of gold
https://www.perthmint.com/news/investor/refinery/world-record-for-gold-bar/
Biggest ever gold bar created by Perth Mint | ABC News (Australia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBvYIf4_U5A
Australian mint breaks World Record for largest gold bar | 9 News Australia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJC0buYp1Yk
